Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 11, 2020
Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
In the gospel today, Jesus’ frustration with the crowds is palpable. John the Baptist shows them the way of fasting and repentance but they turn away from his invitation. His message is too harsh. Jesus invites them to celebrate while he is with them but they reject him, too, calling him a drunkard. Both of these options offer a path to holiness but the people choose neither.
This gospel is a perfect story for me to consider in the season of Advent. Advent is a time that invites us to both repentance and joyful expectation. The two go hand in hand, really. Preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus brings gladness to our hearts but we cannot prepare well for his coming unless we reflect on our lives and repent of our sins. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for me to ignore both of these aspects of the liturgical season. This is especially the case this year, as we suffer through a holiday season unlike any other because of the Covid-19 pandemic. I cancelled my holiday travel plan and barely had the energy to decorate the house this year. This Advent seems like it is in between the mourning and dancing described in today’s gospel: not quite rejoicing, not quite despairing. Of course, the joy of our salvation will come to us at Christmas regardless of our mood or circumstance. I just have to trust that God will deliver the grace to transform my heart and refresh my spirit.
Advent places us in a meaningful tension between John the Baptist and Jesus; the readings constantly remind us of this. One says, “Repent!” and one says, “Rejoice!” If I’m not intentional about my life in faith, I might end up doing neither. In the next two weeks, I will try to do both!
Prayer
Lord, your enemies called you a friend of sinners. Thank God, they were correct. You reached out to sinners in those days and you reach out to sinners today. Even in the midst of our folly we know that we can count on your friendship. Give us hope when we stray from your path. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Daniel the Stylite is a famous monastic figure who is honored by both Eastern and Western Christian churches.
Daniel was born around 409 in the north of what is now modern-day Iraq. Daniel entered a nearby monastery at the age of twelve and lived in this same monastery until he was thirty-eight. During a voyage that Daniel made with his abbot to Antioch, he passed by the pillar where the famous St. Simeon the Stylite lived.
A stylite was a monk who offered his life by forsaking the world quite literally by forsaking earth and climbing on top of a pillar where he would live for the rest of his life.
With his abbot, Daniel visited many convents and holy sites. Daniel finally retired in 451 A.D. into the ruins of a pagan temple and established his own pillar north of Constantinople.
Daniel had not consulted the owner of the land where he placed his pillar. Thus, the land’s rightful owner appealed to both the emperor and patriarch to dislodge Daniel. Neither budged to displace the Stylite, thus practically coining the phrase: ask forgiveness, not permission.
In fact, the patriarch Gennadius, instead of ousting Daniel, ordained him as a priest, administering the Eucharist to Daniel and receiving the Eucharist from the newly ordained priest by the means of a ladder.
Daniel lived on the pillar for thirty-three years. Due to continuous standing, his feet were reportedly covered with sores, cuts, and ulcers, and the winds of Thrace sometimes completely stripped him of his scanty monastic clothing. Despite having no parlor, Daniel received many impressive visitors, among them the emperors Leo I and Zeno. Even from the top of his pillar, he engaged in theological debate and took a strong stance against Monophysitism.
Daniel quickly became a pious tourist attraction for the people. From his pillar, Daniel celebrated the Eucharist, preached sermons, dispensed spiritual advice, and cured the sick who were brought up to him. Daniel finally died at the ripe old age of eighty-four in the year 493.
St. Daniel the Stylite, who lived with evangelical poverty, simplicity, and boldness—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Daniel the Stylite is in the public domain. Last accessed November 1, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
